Your kind help requested

I'm planning on doing a major redesign of my web site. Would you pop over for a second and take a quick look? What do you think I should change? Does it work for you? Do you have a favorite author web site you really like that I could look at for ideas?

I'm at danamarton.com.

I'd like it to fit the feel of my Intrigues, but also other stories I'm publishing. I would so appreciate your help!

And so would Toby, my assistant. See photo of his begging look at the bottom of my post. :-)

To show our love, we'll raffle off a very special book among those who respond, a special 2-in-1 edition that was published in Europe, including my SPY HARD and Julie Miller's fabulous THE MARINE NEXT DOOR. The only other way to get this book is to fly to London! :-) Even I have only 2 copies, and I'm giving away one here.

Good luck!

Dana

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE by Patricia Rosemoor

It really is true. Too much of a good thing is rarely as interesting as testing new waters, something I frequently do if for no other reason than to amuse myself. Lately, I’ve been testing the waters a lot!
 
Tomorrow, the first issue of WHISPERS FROM THE VOID is going to launch with a spectacular party at Neff of Chicago in the Merchandise Mart. I’m one of the four developer/authors. We are quite an unusual team — we are Team Monster. 

Each author developed one of the major characters. I’m Callie, the vampire fashionista who has lived so long that she’s bored by life and has a decidedly flippant attitude. At least it seems that way... The other main characters are a ghost, a flesh construct and a mad scientist. What the creator started as a horror comic book, Team Monster quickly turned into sort of a supernatural Charlies Angels, with Idonia, the mad scientist who once worked for Hitler, as the leader.

Team Monster sits together and plots the entire 22 page comic book, scene by scene. Then we split the work into fourths and go away and write. We put the four quarters together and everyone reads for possible changes, especially in the characters we each developed. Then we sit together again and work out the revision, go away again and rewrite our own work.

Whispers from the Void will be distributed not only by Diamond Distributors, but by Ingrams. And we’ll be sold by Amazon.com both in paper and digital.

  
More variety...

I love creating bookcovers for myself and for other authors.

 



I tried different versions of covers for See Me in Your Dreams, Tell Me No Lies and Touch Me in the Dark — the first three books in The McKenna Legacy series. 

Yes, they are back. And I think the new covers work nicely. (My attempt at being an artist! Don’t tell anyone, but I can’t draw...)

And even more variety...

For years I wrote with a partner under various pseudonyms. We’re back, as well, now writing as Lynn Patrick again for Harlequin Heartwarming. My partner Linda and I are known for romantic comedy, often with a lighter suspense element.

 

And to make life sweeter, Lynn Patrick’s backlist is being released by Samhain Publishing as part of their Retro Romance line. They released The Mermaid’s Touch last January, and now have the next 7 books lined up between this month and next July, starting with The Perfect Affair.

 
More new stuff coming next month :)

 
What do you do to keep your life fresh and interesting? Anything wild you can talk about? One commenter with the wildest story will win a copy of the first issue of WHISPERS FROM THE VOID.


                           

Very High Cool Beans Factor

December 2012

Pardon the corny title.  But I just wanted to share a few very cool things happening in my life right now.

First, get a load of that cover!  THREE COWBOYS is the holiday Intrigue anthology I wrote with Dana Marton and Paula Graves.  It'll actually be out November 27, even though it's a December book.  (Harlequin releases their series books every 4 weeks, so every now an then there's a month--like this November--where 2 sets of books are released at retail outlets)  Of course, it's available Nov. 1st at www.harlequin.com.  (In case you didn't know, Harlequin releases their books their first of the month PRECEDING its retail release date. So you can buy December releases in November, 2013 releases in December 2012, and so on)  But I digress...

For me, the big thumbs-up/cool beans/squeee! award goes to seeing my name on the cover of my 46th book.  Yes, the cowboys are nice.  (Okay, so I grouse a bit that none of them looks like I envisioned my hero--though they all have elements of the description I gave the art department for my hero, Virgil McCabe: black hat, white shirt, knows the ranch better than anyone, big and brawny)  Again... digressing, Julie...  But I'm humbled, thrilled and grinning with delight to see "USA TODAY Bestselling Author" in print over my name for the first time.  Makes it real.  Motivates me.  Thank you to all my readers who put me there!

But there are other cool things happening, too.

My mom (and best friend!) is visiting for a week or so.  Got to drive down to Kansas City to pick her up and drive back together. (always good research!  Let me tell you that driving narrow, twisty, tree-lined, back-country Lee's Summit Rd. at night is going to show up in a book somewhere! Scary drive, especially at night at high speed with bad guys chasing after you ;))

Directing his section at Band Camp 2012

My son's birthday is tomorrow.  We'll be driving over to his college campus to take him out for dinner and presents and a bit of spoilage.  Ruby Tuesday's chicken & broccoli pasta is his favorite, so I'm guessing that's where we'll be.  Love that guy.  I remember him toddling around the yard, plucking dandelions and giving them to me to put on the table, and thinking a roll of toilet paper was a nifty toy.  I remember learning all the names of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers, and how to assemble various Transformers.  I remember two-tone hair in middle school.  I remember bawling at the honors and awards he earned in high school. I treasure all the hugs he's given me his whole life and know that I'm truly blessed to have such a fine, funny, sensitive, talented, hard-working son. 

I have a totally cool editor, whose patience and guidance helped me learn to love a book I'd really struggled with.  I'm equally thrilled to be writing a book now that's going much easier!

So many cool things are happening in my life right now.  I'm making the effort to notice and appreciate every one of them.  I'm a lucky woman.

So... what's something cool happening in your life? Big or small, meaningful to you if no one else?  Please share the good feeling.  Or ask a question.  I like to chat. ;)  I'll give away a copy of one of my back list titles to a lucky poster.

Julie Miller

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Relentless Protector

In Colleen Thompson's new Thriller, meet a woman in danger and her Relentless Protector:

Former Army Ranger Cole Sawyer reacts on instinct when he sees beautiful young widow Lisa Meador pull a gun at the bank. He foils the robbery, but when Lisa screams as the real robbers take off with her son, he realizes that things aren't what they seem. Driven by a painful secret, Cole makes the split-second decision to join forces with Lisa and trail the criminals across Texas.

Haunted by his failure to save Lisa's husband in Afghanistan, Cole is determined to help her rescue her son. But he's even more determined not to give in to his growing attraction to her. As they untangle clues and face the potentially devastating loss of their quarry, they soon realize that the kidnappers' motives run deeper—and darker—than they ever expected.…

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Her Baby's Father

Rebecca York takes readers on another exciting ride in Her Baby's Father:

The last thing Sara Carter remembers is driving to the hospital in the middle of a snowstorm just as she was going into labor. Skidding...…then crashing. When she wakes up, she's no longer pregnant. More astonishing, the man she loved and lost is still alive. Has Sara been given a second chance to rescue Jack Morgan from his tragic destiny? To save them both?

From the moment Jack meets Sara, he has the feeling he knows her from somewhere. Her first touch awakens long-dormant emotions… and arouses a fierce wave of desire. But how does Sara seem to sense he's in danger? Whatever twist of fate brought them together, Jack knows he has only one shot at a future: keep them both alive long enough to find out if their love is strong enough to withstand the forces threatening to drive them apart.

Measuring Sunsets

No dog adventures today.
No really big news.

I came back tanned and relaxed. Missed the pups, played with the pups who seem to have missed me and shadowed me for three days. I've got my head down, writing after a week-long stay in Florida. St. Pete's Beach to be exact. While we were there, we kept track of our days by sunsets.

This is a picture from our first night's dinner and sunset. We actually saw the "green flash" and had fresh boiled shrimp and crab legs. Awesome meal. Everyone kept directing us to restaurants, our reply: Anywhere to eat on the beach? We can eat inside in Texas anytime.






 Second night we went to a Texas Rangers' game (they happened to be playing in Tampa Bay--lol).  I think half the stands were Ranger Fans. Nice stadium. We were actually cold from the air conditioning (it's enclosed).

Their Ray tank was pretty cool. Can't believe my pictures turned out so well.

The third sunset was on Anna Maria Island accompanied by our favorite meal: red snapper that had been caught on the boat that morning, scallops, fresh coconut shrimp (tasted like it was still in the coconut) and the most amazing desert of kumquat pie. It was the oddest thing, part of the restaurant was a private party getting married on the beach, so we witnessed their ceremony (couldn't hear it because of the waves) and then watched them get their wedding pictures. One thing I would have changed...the bride and groom were wearing shoes.

 Sunset number four was after a terrific day on the number 1 natural beach in America. We stopped on the drive back and had fresh toasted coconut ice cream, made locally. Oh and did I mention that just before that we had Hawaiian shave ice? Yes, the ice cream was a second scoop.  Tim took this picture and called it: CUP O' SUNSET FOR TWO

Our last sunset...dinner on the beach, followed by sitting in the sand and watching the sun fall behind the horizon. Then a fruity coconut drink and a walk along the shore.

 

VERY PEACEFUL -- I even brought back a little to share.

I guess summer's officially over, even here in Texas the temperatures have dropped and we turned off the AC.  SO WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER MOMENT? Did you have a cool sunset to share?

Leave a blog comment and you'll be entered in a drawing for a B&N $10 gift card. And I remember --those of you have left comments for my past two blogs will be entered once for each comment.

I'm getting excited, my next release DANGEROUS MEMORIES isn't too far away now. The cover should be available soon.

~Angi
AngiMorgan.com
Intrigues where honor and danger collide with love.

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Scene of the Crime: Black Creek

Join Carla Cassidy for another scintillating mystery in Scene of the Crime: Black Creek:

Baiting a serial killer is risky enough. But FBI Special Agent Mick McCane knows he's in real trouble when he and by-the-book Cassie Miller have to pose as loving newlyweds to do it. Ever since their one sizzling night together, she's determined to keep their relationship strictly business—even as an undeniable attraction pulls them deeper into their undercover personas. Then their real identities are discovered and the hunters become the hunted. Now, the only way for Mick to protect the woman he can't live without is to sacrifice the life he was used to putting on the line—and the badge he never thought he'd have to.

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Intuition

Carol Ericson's suspenseful Guardians of Coral Cove series continues in Intuition:

Two dark purposes prompted Kylie Grant's return to Coral Cove and its nefarious Victorian mansion: solve the mysterious disappearance of a young girl and find closure for her own complicated past. What her psychic abilities hadn't prepared her for was an encounter with sexy bad boy Matt Conner.

It was his first assignment as a P.I., and Matt needed this job to show he was nothing like his hometown reputation suggested. Mysterious and alluring, Kylie was a complication he didn't count on—nor were the death threats against her. Working together, all day and all night, was testing every professional skill Matt was determined to prove. And challenging every private desire he was finding impossible to ignore.

Joys and Challenges of Writing

With the publishing of my fiftieth book at the end of last year, I surpassed a number I would never have dreamed of reaching when my first book was published back in 1994. With that first book, Deep in the Bayou, I started on a journey that has been both joyous and challenging.

The joy list is many. First there was the huge thrill of seeing my words in print for the first time. It was a moment I’ll never forget. An ongoing benefit is the number of new friends I’ve made in the publishing world. I’ve actually been with the same editor ever since my third book, and I owe much of my success to her editorial input and her faith in my ability to touch the readers with my stories. And I’ve met countless writers, most of which have been both encouraging and helpful and many of whom have become great friends. It constantly amazes me how supportive other writers are and that definitely includes Intrigue writers.  And one of the most rewarding aspects of writing is my contact with readers. I can’t imagine that there are more loyal readers than those who follow and continue to buy our Intrigues even in these bad economic times. Thank you. You make this possible and worthwhile.

As for the challenges, well those are far too many to go into here. But let me say that the biggest challenge for me is sitting still long enough to write.  Yep, I’m one of those people who love life and want to do everything—travel, play golf, hike, go to lunch with girlfriends, cook, decorate, read and most of all to spend time with family. My grandsons are the light of my life.

So on to writing and working on the next book in the Big D Dad series. Love those cowboys!

www.joannawayne.com

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Secret Keeper

It's time for another action-packed Cooper Security story, as Paula Graves introduces readers to a Secret Keeper:

Although a missing Annie Harlowe and her entire family were at the forefront of a Cooper Security investigation, Wade Cooper never expected to stumble upon the half-conscious beauty in his own backyard. Thankfully, Annie had somehow escaped her captors. Unfortunately, she had no memory of the past three weeks. Before long, the memories slowly began to return—and the threats to her life turned deadlier. And although her well-being was becoming more than just an assignment, Annie's safety remained the battle-scarred marine's top priority. Still, for a man who'd avoided the risks a relationship was bound to bring, could Wade really walk away once this case was closed? And what could his future possibly hold if he did?

Spotlight on September Intrigues: Mason

Delores Fossen is back with the latest thrilling Lawmen of Silver Creek Ranch book, Mason: 

It wasn't the first time danger had come to his ranch, but for Deputy Mason Ryland it was the final straw. Someone had been targeting his family for too long and the brooding lawman now had a new person to protect: horse trainer Abbie Baker.

His newest employee's arrival suspiciously coincided with the latest attack, and it wasn't long before he uncovered a decades-old secret between Abbie and the Ryland clan. But as much as that connection rankled, Mason couldn't ignore the fact that someone wanted beautiful Abbie dead. As an upholder of the law, he'd keep her safely tucked by his side through the investigation. As a man, he'd offer his personal protection through the endless summer nights.

Carol's Winners!

 

My winners from yesterday are bn100 and Anne!  Please send me an email with your snail mail address at carol@carolericson.com and let me know your book preference - one of the Guardians of Coral Cove Intrigues or my ebook, KICK IT UP.

Thanks for dropping by the blog and sharing your favorite sports.  Good luck to all your favorite teams!

Stay tuned as I do more give-aways this month.



When trouble strikes, you need a cowboy!

http://www.joannawayne.com

 

 

On Labor Day, I always think of the hard and fast fashion rule that guided my choice of shoes after Labor Day.  No white after that day in September that supposedly signaled the beginning of fall. Not that anything was falling. The leaves were still green and well attached unless of course they were dying from the heat and drought. Certainly not the temperature in the very Southern town of Shreveport, LA where I grew up. The only thing that fell was our feet to the floor much earlier than we'd grown accustomed to during our break from school.

 

Nonetheless, the rule had to  be followed. And not just for shoes. No white dresses or pants, though we could thankfully wear white blouses all year. I'm not sure what was supposed to happen if you disobeyed the rule. Perhaps the fashion police would appear at your door as I believed the mattress police might if you tore off that label that warned that it was not to be removed.

 

They tell me there are people who still follow that fashion rule of the changing season. I'm not one of them.  The temperature here in Texas is still hovering very near 100 degrees. I'm still in shorts--white ones today and white flip flops, though I swear I think the sloppy shoes are giving me arthritis in the toes I unconsciously clench to keep the shoes on. I've almost given up flip flops, but not quite there yet. But in honor of the season, I did pot a new selection of fall flowers for my front door. So I'm not a complete season rebel. And I do so look forward to the first day I can walk outside without having the humidity settle on me like wet noodles.

 

But it is good weather to read a book. Hope you're trying out my Big "D" Dad series. Live Ammo is available now at a reduced price. And the 3rd book in the series, Big Shot, will be out in Nov.

 

Happy End of Summer. Are you still wearing white?

Gooooal!

What's your favorite sport to watch?  Do you enjoy watching the amazing feats of the Olympians every few years?  Do you thrill to the Boys of Summer?  Do you have a football team you follow every fall?  Golf?  Really?

I enjoyed watching the Olympics, especially the water sports.  Below is a pic of Chay Lapin, the backup goalie for the U.S. Men's Olympic Water Polo Team.  He's a coach for the younger kids at my sons' club water polo team and had a question and answer session at our end of the season party last weekend.  (Hmm, could be a romance cover model, don't you think?)

I love watching almost all sports.  I can walk by a TV where two teams I don't even know are playing some sport I don't really care about, and I'll stop for a minute and start screaming for one or the other team to score a goal/basket/touchdown/homerun/whatever.  Then I'll walk on by.  I live in a household of males and yet I'm the only one in the family who yells and jumps up and down when I'm watching sports on TV--must be the former high school cheerleader in me.

My favorite sport to watch live is...soccer.  L.A. doesn't have a football team, and the Lakers have too many games to follow and the tickets are really expensive.  Although the L.A. Kings won the Stanley Cup this year, I've been to only one of their games.  I've been to a few Dodger games but ever since my husband got some tickets through work for one of the hospitality suites where you get free Dodger dogs, peanuts, popcorn, nachos, beer and wine and a dessert cart in the 7th inning, I just can't bring myself to sit in the cheap seats out in right field anymore!

So, I go to L.A. Galaxy games at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA.  This year I had the opportunity to go in with a group on season tickets.  My share gets me 20 tickets, so I can go to all 20 games by myself or snag 4 tickets for 5 games, which is what I opt to do.  Lucky for me, the guy who runs the group has been going to Galaxy games since before they moved from the Rose Bowl, so our tickets are prime seats - in the first row, almost behind the Galaxy bench.  Yes, I'm thisclose to David Beckham on the field!  (This picture was taken during warm-ups before the game with the telephoto lens on my little camera, but we do have a clear view of the field.)

 

When Becks first moved to L.A. to play for the Galaxy, I read an article about his security detail in the U.K. and how most of them weren't coming with him because they couldn't get work visas.  The article then went on to state that Beckham probably wouldn't need as much security here anyway because he wasn't as well known in the U.S. as he was in Europe.  That one statement inspired me to write a romantic comedy, KICK IT UP, about an English soccer player who comes to the U.S. to play for a failing Major League Soccer team.  My hero is not at all like Becks, who is happily married with four adorable children.  My soccer-playing hero is randy and rowdy, although deep down he's a sensitive soul.  I had so much fun writing that book, I'm planning on a follow-up involving the same fictional soccer team, the L.A. Waves.

 

 

 

Leave a comment today about your favorite sport (or athlete) for a chance to win one of my Guardians of Coral Cove books, OBSESSION, EYEWITNESS, INTUITION, or DECEPTION or if you have a Kindle, you can choose to win a copy of my romantic comedy, KICK IT UP.  I will post the name of the winner(s) on Friday.

WIPE YOUR PAWS

 

JUST IN & had to share...

 

Sorry, I totally forgot I was to write a post this morning. I admit that I've been under the weather, I've been traveling, and I leave again Friday...so my schedule's totally off. But I laughed this morning and thought I'd share some DALLAS moments.

 

 

 

We normally have to coax Dallas to "sing". This time, she began all on her own and Moose joined in with barking. Tex was laid back under my elbow...he mainly barks at bicycles. LOL

 

Tim and I were very lazy this weekend and watched the entire BAND OF BROTHERS series on DVD. What did you do?

 

Blog commenters will be entered into my next drawing (of course). I have several books to give away on the 18th of this month.

 

~Angi

 

DANGEROUS MEMORIES

February 2013